1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of online or network-hosted video games and virtual environments and pertains more particularly to methods and apparatus for equalizing travel time in an avatar-based game or environment navigated by both players equipped with Virtual Reality (VR) platforms, and for players not equipped with VR platforms.
2. Discussion of the State of the Art
In the field of Internet gaming and media consumption a player may interact with VR content using a trackable, visual-enhancement system, such as a head-mounted-display (HMD) VR monitor. Such VR systems include those provided by Google Cardboard™, Oculus Rift™, Samsung Gear, and others. VR at the time of the present application is spreading to more and more platforms. Many existing and newly-developed three-dimensional games and environments include avatars that may represent a character a user has selected in the game or environment. In these games or environments, a client typically becomes or is associated with a particular avatar, and a camera-control scheme is associated with the avatar, such that the avatar may be observed functioning and navigating through the environment, and a player may view in the game from the viewpoint of the avatar.
It is known to the inventor that VR functionality is now available on an increasing number of devices and platforms, and that games and environments may now be accessed by both VR-equipped users and those that are not equipped with VR hardware and software. Amongst other things it is desired that all users, VR-equipped and those not VR-equipped, accessing a same game session or environment that supports VR have a good experience and a relatively equal and fair playing field. In VR, users typically teleport while players not using VR platforms typically walk, run, fly, or exhibit a tracked motion that is followed by a camera. If a camera is disassociated with a VR user's head, the VR user may become disoriented and nauseous similar to a sea sickness or motion sickness experience.
The inventors know of a camera teleporting scheme, not in the public domain, that players may use in an avatar-based game to walk run or otherwise exhibit trackable movement in an environment. In this method, the player using VR may select a destination using a 3-axis controller equipped with a laser in the form of a parabolic curve or a straight laser, that they may mark a spot with the laser pointer and then travel to that spot using the normal travel time calculated to travel to that spot. The camera does not trail the avatar but remains stationary until the end of the path traveled and teleports just before, during, or just after the avatar is at the marked destination. The technique in this embodiment prevents the VR player from becoming disoriented with motion of a camera that is not mapped to the user's head. It has occurred to the inventors that allowing VR players to continue to teleport in an avatar-based game may also be possible without compromising the fairness of the game for all players, both VR and non-VR players.
What is clearly needed is a control scheme and method of implementation whereby VR players may teleport during game travel in a mitigated fashion so as not to gain travel advantages over players not using VR equipment during session engagement for users operating in VR mode in an Avatar-based game or environment.